Native Forward Scholars Fund Announces Prestigious Student of the Year Award at Empowering Scholars Summit 2024

Award-winning scholars recognized for their commitment to Indigenous excellence and leadership on and off campus.

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, July 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Native Forward Scholars Fund, the largest direct provider of scholarships to Indigenous students, announced the winners of the 2023 Student of the Year Award. One undergraduate and one graduate student were each honored for their success in higher education and their contribution to the communities around them:

• Stephen Silva-Brave (Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Rosebud Indian Reservation), Undergraduate Degree in Social Work at the University University of Texas at Arlington
• Breckin Horton (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), fourth-year medical student at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York

Angelique AlbertCEO of the Native Forward Scholars Fund, said: “The Student of the Year award commemorates the achievements of student leaders who are actively working to build a better world for all of us, and Stephen and Breckin are inspiring scholars which we at Native Forward are honored to recognize this year. I salute their dedication to cultural preservation and the public good throughout their journey in higher education, and I look forward to continuing to support Native Forward Scholars at the Summit and beyond. »

Since 2018, the award has recognized personal mission and academic excellence. This year’s recipients seek to redress generations of systemic injustices perpetrated against Indigenous communities through their respective professional activities.

The annual Empowering Scholars Summit is a free, three-day immersion opportunity for Native Forward honorees to develop their academic and professional expertise. The Summit is intended to be a space where Indigenous students can improve their professional skills, expand their social capital and networks, enhance their personal brand and develop a leadership presence.

“Native Forward helped ease the financial burden so I could stay focused on the end goal,” the honoree said. Stephen Silva-Brave“Being an Indigenous Scholar means more than financial support. It represents a belief in my vision of a community where Indigenous knowledge and social justice lead the way to healing and empowerment.”

“Native Forward has been an invaluable ally, enabling me to pursue my aspirations while addressing the pressing needs of marginalized communities,” said honoree Breckin Horton. “Their support, from tuition assistance to exam fees and study materials, has been instrumental in easing the financial burden associated with medical education, allowing me to focus wholeheartedly on my academic pursuits and community efforts.”

Indigenous Researchers Fund has provided more funding in direct scholarships and support services to American Indian and Alaska Native students in the United States than any other scholarship provider. THE AlbuquerqueThe nonprofit organization is committed to ensuring that every Native student who wants to pursue a higher education has the resources they need to do so. In 53 years, it has empowered more than 22,000 scholars from more than 500 tribes in all 50 states and helped create more than 1,700 law degrees and more than 2,200 doctoral degrees. Through scholarship funding and holistic support, Native Forward has increased undergraduate graduation rates to 69 percent, compared to the national average of 41 percent for Native students, and increased graduate graduation rates to 95 percent. The organization’s alumni include some of the most influential Native leaders in the United States, including the Secretary of the Interior. Deb HaalandPulitzer Prize Finalist Tommy Orangeand Dr. Cynthia Chavez LamarDirector of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.

Contact: Sara LaBarge
(505) 881-4584
(email protected)

SOURCE Indigenous Scholarship Fund